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Re: the rig not being broken in yet, he said it gets 10-12 mpg towing right now. A friend of his has almost the same rig at 60,000 miles and gets 3-4 mpg more. Getting 16 mpg while towing a 15,000 pound trailer is actually pretty good.

13? Bastage! My Class A get's 8MPG on a good day!

Originally Posted by Just Jeff

I'm not all that worried about the mpg...I don't think the guy was being dishonest about it, just telling me what the trip computer said. I was expecting about 10 mph anyway, and this won't be my daily driver...not with 3500 suspension in it! Besides, nobody buys an RV because of the gas mileage.

Tough part is, that breaks down to about $25/hour driving...not including the actual cost of the equipment (and of course the matching towels, dishes, etc...I'm sure we couldn't use what we already have...) or significant repairs. That's still an expensive vacation. But with this I could vacation at a moment's notice, and go where I want to (within reason for a rig that big, obviously). And still have a home during the zombie apocalypse!

The RV is still cheaper than staying in hotels and eating out... I look at my RV two ways: It's a House that needs Engine Maintenance, or it's a Car with indoor plumbing!

I haven't read all the post, but do have a 5th Wheel trailer. Best I can do is to put my hammock stand inside, but it takes up a lot of room. I doubt you can hang a hammock inside any 5th wheel trailer available today. Even the good ones only have two inch walls with maybe one and three quarter inch aluminum studs. I could be wrong, of course, but would really hate to see the bill to fix it if you bent the walls inward with a hammock. There are several companies that build fifth wheels to your design and could build stronger walls where you need them. They are a little more expensive, but not as much as you might think. If you want a fifth wheel trailer you can hang a hammock inside, this might be the best course of action.

Faced with the RV/TT conundrum though I bought a Casita years ago. Faced again with the tow vehicle question, I found that a Sprinter suited my needs.

It gets good mileage, (reportedly from a few friends I know who have the same rig - I just got my Sprinter a couple of weeks ago so I can't testify,) 25 not towing and 20-23 towing. (fingers crossed...)

And the Sprinter makes a good weekender, I can hang inside it, and it's nimble and efficient enough to use as a daily driver. And I can fit many full sheets of plywood inside.

We are now ready to start our way down the Great Unknown.We are three quarters of a mile in the depth of the earth.We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknow river yet to explore.What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls rise over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture many things. The men talk as cheerfully as ever; jests are bandied about freely this morning; but to me the cheer is somber and the jests are ghastly. Powell 1869

Test drove the dually last night and it was an amazing machine. I felt more manly just hearing that Cummins fire up! Tight, smooth (for a 3500), immaculately clean.

But we ended up going with a 2013 Class C. They came down way low on the price so it ended up being a little cheaper than the fifth wheel and Ram kit. Not a whole lot cheaper, but enough to be a consideration. Bigger factor was the lower fiddle factor, slightly more convenient, ability for me to get up and drive out without prying the teenagers out of bed, etc.

Basically, I would have been satisfied with the fifth wheel on a weekend trip and very happy with it on week or longer stays, but vice versa with the Class C - very happy on weekend trips, and plenty satisfied on longer stays. The Class C actually has a small private area for Joker over the cab, where the fifth wheel would have him sleeping in the (apartment-sized) living area.

My Wrangler is already set up to tow...we've towed it from Charleston, SC, to Monterey, CA, to Fayetteville, NC! So sticking it behind the Class C will give us a town/mountains vehicle (and some more storage capacity) on some trips. Much easier around town than the dually!

Interestingly, I think the Class C might give me more opportunity to hang a hammock inside. Haven't actually looked it over in detail yet, but there's a bit of woodwork in there that might support a compression member ridgeline much better than the fifth wheel would have. I'll stick with a stand for the first several trips until I find something workable...but who knows?

So we put down the deposit today and should pick it up on Saturday if the inspections go well...then we'll drive out Sunday for a few days. Not sure where yet...thinking about Albuquerque just b/c it's relatively close.

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

Congrats on the new wheels. It's been a long time but I still miss the freedom I had with the RV.

In searching for two places that will take the stress of hammock hanging, the first place you should check is the repair department of the RV dealership.

Have a talk with one of the staff that does body repairs to a damaged RV and explain to them what it is that you want to do. Take with you the chart/spreadsheet on hanging distances/weight/stress that's available on here.

If there's any places in the new RV that will qualify, they'd be the ones to point them out to you.

Personally, after having hung around a few RV dealers over the decade that I drove a Class A, I don't think you're going to find anything strong enough but there's no harm in asking!!

check out Good Sam Club .. it's all about RV'ing .. my parents we're 5th wheelers for years .. they have there own community as we do .. I met up with them on a few occasions .. they make great base camps

"The wise man questions others wisdom because he questions his own, the foolish man because it is different from his own." Leo Stein

As a long time rv owner, I applaud the class c purchase. Drives like a truck. The wife should be comfortable driving too...

Things to watch for: walk the roof: is it a rubber membrane? I hope not. The newer rvs don't use them. Check all the seams for leaks, especially around the vents and other roof intrusions, windows too. You'll need to check those yearly, as leaks can wreak havoc. On a class c, the other place to worry is the bottom forward edges (joker's private space) those bottom corners can leak, and water there will rot out the wood ply in that area. ( mine did that) silicone is wonderful stuff...

These are minor maintenance things.... on the plus side plumbing is dead simple, and faucet seals are real easy to replace.
The only problem I had with a class c in the cold was the black water tank froze...